Chapter 10: 0-10: Teaching

Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

It was Monday, the seventeenth of June, and Albus Dumbledore was in his office awaiting a visitor. He had heard, of course, about Pandora Lovegood's apparent accident last spring, and about the strange traveler that had arrived seemingly as a result. Iruka Umino was certainly an enigma; the man had no documented history prior to his arrival, and was selling magical diagrams like nothing Albus had ever seen before. There was one of his flame suppression 'seals' in the Headmaster's desk drawer, for Severus to look over and determine whether it would potentially interfere with the obstacle he was creating. The venerable wizard had already examined the simple scroll both visually and magically, and could only conclude that it must share some common ground with runic scripts.

Apparently this Mr. Umino had been spending much of the last year collaborating with Pandora on her research, seeking both the source of her mishap and a method by which he could return to his mysterious homeland. None of Albus's contacts had ever heard of Hi no Kuni, Konohagakure, or anything else the man spoke of in relation to himself. It would not be the first time that a small magical community had sequestered itself away from the wider world; Avalon, Shangri-La, El Dorado - all had hidden themselves behind powerful magics centuries ago, and had little to no contact since. On the other hand, this left the man with no references as to his character or abilities, no reputation by which he might be considered, and while his behavior since his arrival had been entirely benign, his mysterious past did warrant some suspicion of his true motives.

Last Sunday at breakfast, the Headmaster had received an owl from the enigmatic traveler, asking if he might arrange access to Hogwarts' library and possibly the expertise of its faculty in order to further pursue his and Mrs. Lovegood's research, as they had exhausted their own available resources. After considering the matter for a couple of days, Albus responded to the man's letter, indicating that they should meet, and that today would be the earliest day when he would be free as the Hogwarts Express had departed for London the previous morning and the castle was now settling into its summer lull. Mr. Umino had replied, agreeing to meet that afternoon.

In the meantime, Hogwarts' Headmaster had investigated the man that would soon be visiting him, seeking what little additional information he could find. Molly and Arthur had both spoken highly of the man, having met him several times through their neighbors: They said he seemed friendly and intelligent, if quiet, but was shockingly ignorant about many things both magical and muggle; he didn't even know how to ride a broom! Albus's contacts at Gringotts were able to confirm that the bank regularly bought seals, though given the fact that goblins lived primarily underground and in enclosed spaces, the fire-sealing scrolls would certainly be valuable to them as a way to avert disaster without causing serious collateral damage. Overall, the picture that was painted was somewhat similar to Remus Lupin - that of a reclusive but congenial academic.

Now Albus Dumbledore would at last meet the mysterious Iruka Umino face-to-face. He was eager to learn more about the man and his origins, and at most other times would have had few reservations about inviting him into the castle and perhaps even exploring the man's research himself to sate his oft-neglected academic curiosity. This year, however, was special; given what and who would be arriving in a few months, Albus had to take a much more vigilant approach to anyone, particularly a stranger, suddenly wanting to spend a lot of time inside his school...

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The fireplace of the Three Broomsticks flared green, disgorging Umino Iruka in his finest set of midnight-blue robes. Nodding congenially to the rather buxom publican, he cleaned his robes with a wave of his wand and stepped out into Hogsmeade Village, immediately feeling grateful for the cooling charms he'd placed on his robes as the warm afternoon sun shone down on him. A glance around showed him streets of dirt or cobblestones, with low buildings in a rustic style. If one changed the designs of the buildings somewhat, it wouldn't have looked particularly out of place in the rural areas of the Elemental Nations. The whole village exuded a feeling of busy peace and simplicity; even the air was fresher and cleaner than he'd experienced in London. He set off following the directions Xeno had given him (and Pandora had corrected somewhat) to make his way up to Hogwarts Castle. After his third turn, the castle itself came into view for the first time.

It was, in a word, breathtaking. Situated on a clifftop overlooking a nearby lake, Hogwarts was a massive structure of soaring towers and crenellated walls. While he had seen taller buildings both at home and in London, none of them matched the grandeur of the stone fortress before him that was made all the more impressive by the fact that it had just celebrated its thousandth birthday. Unlike most fortified structures Iruka had seen, Hogwarts Castle was not intimidating or imposing, but instead seemed almost welcoming.

Reaching the edge of the grounds, he was met by a man of impossibly large size, whose long shaggy black hair and beard were lightly dusted with grey. This one-man welcoming committee was dressed in dirt-streaked clothing of a simple cut and stout fabric, with a vest made of animal skins. In contrast to his imposing appearance, the man's bearing was relaxed and open, and he waved Iruka over as the chuunin approached. "Yeh'll be Mister Umino, then?" The man's voice was as large as the rest of him; even speaking normally, he was almost as loud as Maito Gai.

"That's right. I have an appointment with Headmaster Dumbledore in his office; may I take it that you'll be my guide?" Iruka enquired with a friendly smile, extending his hand.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Gamekeeper an' Keeper o' the Keys an' Grounds here at Hogwarts, but jus' call me Hagrid," the now-named Hagrid smiled as he shook Iruka's hand (and half his forearm). "And yeah, I'll be showin' yeh up ter the Headmaster's office. Hogwarts is a beautiful place, but it can be a mite confusin' to those as aren't used to findin' their way 'round."

The two proceeded amiably up to the castle, Iruka nearly jogging at times to keep up with Hagrid's longer strides. As they walked, Hagrid pointed out and named various features of the castle and grounds, such as the Forbidden Forest and his own hut nearby, the Black Lake, the Astronomy, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor towers, and others. He also kept up a near-constant stream of anecdotes about some of the things he'd seen in his decades on staff.

Both men were laughing at a story of a prank fifteen years earlier when Iruka sensed a projectile coming at him from behind. He reflexively sidestepped, watching the toy balloon filled with mud splatter on the stone floor in front of them. Turning, he beheld a garishly-dressed translucent little man floating in the air with a disappointed pout on his face. "Why do you have to go and spoil Peeves's fun? Just wanted to give you a little extra decoration for your meeting!"

"PEEVES!"

At the shout, the little man flew down the corridor, cackling, disappearing through the first wall to get in his way. From the other direction came the shouter, a grizzled old man carrying a mop and an equally grizzled (and similarly old) cat. His mien of fury intensified when he beheld the splash of mud on the floor, but softened to grudging respect when he turned to Hagrid. "Bloody poltergeist, always another mess. Where'd he run off to this time, Hagrid?"

"Down the corridor the other way - reckon he'd be at the courtyard by now if he kept on. Seems 'e decided ter try an' give Mister Umino 'is own version of a Hogwarts welcome." The man nodded curtly and turned to the mud, beginning to mop while muttering sulfurously about irritating poltergeists and miserable brats always making more work for him, while Iruka and Hagrid continued on their way with the cat watching them until they were out of sight.

"That'd be Filch," Hagrid explained a minute later, "and 'is cat, Mrs. Norris. 'E's the caretaker 'ere, y'see, and Peeves is always drivin' 'im spare what with the messes 'e makes. Only poltergeist at Hogwarts, Peeves is, usually pretty harmless, but always makin' trouble for summat."

Iruka nodded absently, watching as a pair of what could only be ghosts crossed the corridor, their conversation cutting in and out sharply as they emerged from one wall and passed into the other ("...should give him another chance..." was all he could make out).

The pair continued onward, chatting as they climbed their way through the castle. Encountering the famed moving staircases was what his sensei would have called an 'interesting experience', and left him wondering how anyone could reliably navigate the castle's highly variable arrangement. Eventually, they came to a large statue of some sort of winged oni, to which Hagrid spoke the words "sugar quills". This caused the statue to stand up and step aside, revealing a doorway behind that led to an enclosed spiral staircase. Hagrid stepped onto the stairs and they began to twist and rise, which led Iruka to hop on a couple of steps below.

Soon, the two stepped off the rising stairs onto a landing before a large wooden door. Hagrid knocked (relatively) gently, eliciting an immediate response of "Come in, Hagrid" from within. After the large gamekeeper opened the door and stepped through, Iruka followed and got his first real look at the office of arguably the most powerful wizard in Britain.

The office of Hogwarts' Headmaster was spacious, though the numerous bookshelves and tables throughout the circular room diminished the feeling of space somewhat (as did standing next to Hagrid). Light streamed in through numerous windows, and the air was full of soft whirring and puffing sounds made by the strange silver mechanisms that littered every flat surface not already covered in books, each active in its own unknown task. Further up, the walls were largely hidden by numerous portraits of aged wizards and witches, their occupants mostly either sleeping or feigning sleep. A large fireplace yawned on one wall, though in deference to the weather it was currently empty, and a set of stairs near the far wall led up to a small landing and another door. Beside the stairs and in front of one of the windows was a tall perch, on which sat the largest non-summoned bird Iruka had ever seen, with resplendent red and orange plumage (he assumed that this was Dumbledore's famous phoenix). Also nearby and standing out in the office full of bright colors and gleaming metal was a very worn and tattered old conical hat sitting on a shelf. Iruka took all of this in with his first glance, before focusing his attention on the heavy claw-footed desk in front of the stairs, and the man between it and the throne-like chair behind it.

Albus Dumbledore was tall and thin, easily at least six or eight centimeters taller than Iruka, and his tall pointy hat only enhanced the impression of height. His hair and beard were both completely white and both over half a meter long, and his sky-blue eyes twinkled from behind half-moon spectacles. His robes and hat were of a bold maroon, embroidered in golden thread with runes from various languages, which tended to move around on the fabric when watched.

"Ah, Mister Umino," the Headmaster greeted warmly, "welcome to Hogwarts." He turned briefly to the gamekeeper "Thank you, Hagrid, you may go." The large man nodded at the dismissal and left, closing the door behind him, as Dumbledore beckoned Iruka forward. "Please," he said, conjuring a plush, overstuffed violet armchair with a casual wave of his wand, "have a seat."

As Iruka walked over to the chair, he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on his back. A quick check using reflective surfaces didn't show anyone else in the office, and none of the portraits were showing open interest, but the feeling persisted, leaving the veteran shinobi slightly on edge. When seating himself, he made sure to jostle the armchair slightly to better position himself in case the unknown observer attacked. Still, he continued to hide his wariness, masking it somewhat with his genuine uncertainty of whether he and the Headmaster could reach an accommodation.

Dumbledore sat as well. "I understand that you have been working with Pandora Lovegood in her research, but have reached an impasse. May I ask how you believe Hogwarts might help?"

"Information, mostly; I still know very little about the magic used here in Britain, and while Mrs. Lovegood is certainly knowledgeable she can't know everything. In short, we've reached the limits of what we can do with the knowledge and references we have, and Hogwarts' Library is regarded as one of the finest magical libraries in the world. While it's hardly likely to have an immediate way to get me home, there may very well be information that could prove key to completing our research. Of course, ideally I would also want to be able to consult with members of the faculty, including yourself, as many are recognized as experts in various fields and might have invaluable insights."

"That is what I had assumed, but it's always best to be clear on such things. Hogwarts has hosted guests from time to time - foreign students, guest lecturers, visiting scholars - but another possibility suggested itself to me since I received your first owl. These 'seals' you draw are quite unique, and should you manage to return to your homeland, we could well be left with another magical skill effectively lost to history. There is, however, a potential solution to this." Here the twinkling of the Headmaster's eyes grew more pronounced. "You have previously given your profession as 'teacher'; would you consider teaching some of our students how to make seals?"

Iruka was left dumbfounded. Of all the ways he had pictured this meeting going, none of them included it turning into a job interview. "I... I would need to know under what terms and conditions I would be teaching such a class, and of course would want some time to think about it."

"Of course, of course!" Dumbledore beamed, "It is several weeks, at least, before any final decision need be made. I suspect it will help, however, if you understand more about how things are done here at Hogwarts and what such a position would entail..."

Over the course of the next hour and a half, Iruka and the Headmaster discussed class sizes and schedules, student ages, faculty salaries and accommodations, requirements for a suitable classroom and supplies, logistical minutiae, and even a bit about fuuinjutsu and Pandora's research. It was a hopeful and mostly-convinced Iruka that was led back out of the castle by Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, a stern professional that the chuunin found himself immediately respecting.

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Once the wards indicated that his guest had passed beyond the gargoyle, Albus turned to the side and addressed a patch of empty air. "So, old friend, what are your thoughts on our potential Professor Umino?"

The air shimmered as Alastor Moody removed the invisibility cloak he'd been standing under. "My first thought is that I'm gettin' too old to be standing around for hours on end trying to hide. Trying and failing, I might add."

"You believe he spotted you somehow?"

"Not spotted, no, he never looked right at me, but even before he sat down he knew the two of you weren't alone. He shifted the chair a bit as he sat, made sure he had room to move and fight if I turned out to be somethin' unfriendly. Never let his guard down the entire time until the door shut behind him. And that ain't the only odd thing, either."

"Soon as the man stepped in the room, he was scanning it with his eyes, lookin' for threats, entrances, exits, cover... I know the look, but he did it as fast and automatic as somebody like me, or Scrimgeour - somebody that's been in the fires for decades. He was armed, too, and I don't just mean his wand. Had a couple of knives on him, strange ones, like this." Alastor transfigured a scrap of parchment into a short knife: Its blade was broad and triangular, with a thick diamond cross-section and a short ricasso tapering down to a cloth-wrapped cylindrical handle that terminated in a large ring-shaped pommel. The hilt wrappings were charcoal grey, and the entire rest of the weapon had a matte black finish. Overall, the weapon was just short of a foot in length and perhaps two inches at its widest point. It was like no weapon Albus had ever seen: Simple, plain, and utilitarian, it was clearly not a weapon made to be seen (in fact, it seemed specifically intended to remain unseen), but rather a weapon made to be used.

"Hidden weapons, vigilance on my level, even the way he moved - the man is a fighter, Albus. Probably has been most of his life. Plenty of scars to show for it - looks like he's found himself at the wrong end of a blade quite a few times. Still fighting fit, too, not out of shape like most wizards."

Albus frowned thoughtfully. "Mysteries upon mysteries - there is clearly more to Mister Umino than meets the eye. The critical question is: Can he be trusted?"

"You know I'm not the best one to answer that, Albus. Trust doesn't come easy for me, after everything, but while Umino clearly knows how to handle himself in a fight, doesn't mean he means you or the school any harm. 'Course, if he does mean ill, I'm not rightly sure what he'd do - seems he knows lots about fightin' but not much about magic."

Albus nodded. "Indeed, indeed. His efforts are credited with saving Pandora Lovegood's life when she was injured, but from what my sources gather he did so without using any magic; he used pressure to help slow the bleeding from many of her wounds, and actually sewed several of them shut with thread! I'm told a couple of Healers are quietly investigating the technique for use on wounds that resist magical treatment. Still, even if Mister Umino were to learn a great deal about magic, his ability to use it against others would be somewhat limited by his power level."

"You're aware, I'm sure, that a wizard's magical strength grows throughout most of their life, though this growth slows considerably around age twenty?" At Alastor's nod, he continued. "One of the skills I have developed over the years is the ability to sense the general strength of a person's magic, and Mister Umino's would compare unfavorably with that of quite a few of the graduates and upper-year students I saw off yesterday morning. It may well be that his people generally lack both magical strength and knowledge, leaving them to rely predominantly upon more mundane methods; these 'seals' may in fact be some of the only magic his people can perform."

"Whatever he can or can't do," Alastor stated, "he didn't show any signs I could see of bein' dishonest. Hid stuff, sure, but that's just sense when you don't know if you can trust somebody. My advice is let him have the job, but keep an eye on him - what he reads, who he talks to, where he goes. He's probably no trouble, but 'probably' ain't enough. Constant vigilance!" His mind spoken, Alastor nodded and stomped off to the fireplace to Floo home, leaving Albus to his thoughts.

Those thoughts largely mirrored Alastor's assessment. He had noticed the slight wariness in Mister Umino, and had suspected that he might be more than he appeared. A feather-light touch of passive Legilimency had shown the presence of at least rudimentary Occlumency shields, a surprising skill for one supposedly so new to magic, but he was certain he had avoided detection. Still, the fact that the man carried knives concealed on his person was something of a shock; a simple utility knife or potions knife would have been normal, but another look at Alastor's transfigured blade reaffirmed the fact that these were clearly weapons, not mere tools, and their harshly functional design added to the other signs to indicate that Mr. Umino was well-versed in their usage.

Taken all together, the portrait this information painted was clearly incomplete. There was surely something, some fact about the man and his background that would be key in unraveling the mystery that was Iruka Umino. Still, neither he nor Alastor had detected any hints of malice in his visitor. Albus decided that he would give Mr. Umino a chance to prove himself, as Professor Umino, and continue to observe in search of that critical clue. Added to everything else, September would likely mark the start of the most interesting year at Hogwarts in some time.

A/N: And thus ends Book 0. Tune in in two weeks for the beginning of Book 1: Umino Iruka and the School of Magic! I'm sure it comes as a surprise to exactly none of you that Iruka is ending up as a teacher at Hogwarts just in time for Harry's first year. The overarching plot of Book 1 won't deviate too much from that of Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, but I intend for changes to gradually accumulate. Successive books will get progressively more divergent from canon, to the point where my current plans for Book 3 have it quickly going off the rails entirely, and Book 4 more paralleling the rails with the occasional intersection. After that, well...

There's something I tried to do in this chapter, a slight trick with the writing style. Imaginary cookies to anyone that successfully spots it, and I'll explain next chapter.

Something that hit me shortly after posting Chapter 9, while working on Chapter 36: There are some things that have become so deeply ingrained in fanon that I can no longer find the canonical underpinnings (if any). Two things in particular I see constantly in fanfics, to the point where they seem like they're canonical, but I cannot for the life of me find any hint as to their source. If anybody knows where in the canon it's mentioned that there are fictional children's books about Harry's life, and/or what is used as evidence that Dumbledore is absolutely and totally against lethal force, please let me know! I'm assuming any reference to the former would be somewhere in Chamber of Secrets, but I've already reread the section at the Burrow with no results, so ideally I'd ask that responses are more specific than "in book X".

Fic Recommendation: "Benefits of old laws" by ulktante - When Voldemort is resurrected in the graveyard, something in him has begun to change. Now he's reclaimed a more human appearance and wants to claim the Slytherin lordship, but can't do so without an heir. That heir needs to be a Parselmouth, and there's only one in Britain besides him... A truly brilliant inversion of many aspects of the Potterverse as we know it, with an increasingly human Voldemort seeking to help and protect Harry while Dumbledore grows more unhinged and dangerous.

Posted 27 August 2017

Edited 27 August 2017 (A/N only) to add fic recommendation.

Edited 10 September (opening A/N only) to add disclaimer

Edited 1 December 2019 to fix a broken divider and replace a generic divider with a Dumbledore-specific version